Simon Gagne, the Flyers' swift and swiftly emerging second-yearforward, still recalls with awe his first NHL goal. On Oct. 12,1999, Gagne, then a 19-year-old rookie, was on a power playagainst the Capitals. Three-time 50-goal scorer John LeClaircamped out near the net while former league MVP Eric Lindrosroamed along the boards. Manning the points were six-timeAll-Star Mark Recchi and two-time All-Star Eric Desjardins.Recchi took a shot, LeClair deflected it, goalie Olaf Kolzigstopped the puck but the rebound, Gagne says, "came to me, and Ijust hammered at it. I've replayed that goal in my mind againand again. All those great players were out there, and thenthere was me."

Gagne's humility hasn't waned, but he has proved that he belongson the ice with the world's best players. This season, withLindros an unsigned restricted free agent and LeClair havingmissed all but eight games with back injuries, Gagne has beenarguably the best forward for Philadelphia, which through Sundaywas 30-18-9-1. Gagne's 26 goals and +22 rating led the Flyers."Simon's starting to realize that he can be a guy who makes bigplays for us," says coach Bill Barber.

Three and a half years ago Gagne was a furniture mover over thesummer. Two and a half years ago he was selected 22nd by theFlyers in the draft. Three weeks ago he was the youngest playerin the All-Star Game in Denver, where he dressed next to MarioLemieux. "He's going to be a star in this league for many years,"Lemieux said after Gagne scored twice in the game. "It's amazingto hear him say that," says the 6-foot, 185-pound Gagne. "Thenyou hear people comparing me to the other guys--it's such anhonor."

The "other guys" he refers to are the NHL's pair of vaunted youngcenters, the Bruins' 6'4", 225-pound Joe Thornton and theLightning's 6'4", 210-pound Vincent Lecavalier, who were the No.1 selections in the 1997 and '98 drafts, respectively. Gagne is anatural center who has played left wing this season. While hedoesn't possess the physical presence of Thornton or Lecavalier,he's a more daring puckhandler and has an exceptional ability toaccelerate. Gagne's career average of .73 points per game throughSunday dwarfs both Lecavalier's .63 and Thornton's .57. "WhenSimon comes down the wing with the puck, you see the fear in thedefensemen's eyes," says Philadelphia right wing Rick Tocchet."He really backs them off."

Gagne hardly seems fear-inspiring off the ice. He has a boyishface, favors Frosted Flakes for breakfast and blushes when hecites his favorite movie scene, in which a teenage boy makes loveto an apple pie in American Pie. Could this humble babe betomorrow's NHL superstar? "He may be," says Barber. "He's onlygoing to get better."

Investigative CommitteeWhat's Causing All the Injuries?

The cover of the January issue of USA Hockey's magazine poses thequestion HOW SAFE IS OUR SPORT? in bold red type. Safety has alsobeen of increasing concern in the NHL, which is why before thisseason the league and its players' association wisely puttogether a 20-man committee to examine the issue. "We studyeverything from equipment to arena conditions to the way gamesare officiated," says Dave Dryden, a former NHL goalie who headsthe committee. "We have lots of anecdotal evidence, but we don'twant to draw conclusions yet."

The evidence includes this season's spate of injuries, which havesidelined stars such as Blues defenseman Chris Pronger, Bruinsgoalie Byron Dafoe and Sharks center Vincent Damphousse forextended periods. The NHL, which is reluctant to release injurystats for fear they may reflect poorly on the league, says thenumber of man-games lost to injuries has decreased 12% from lastseason. Yet hockeyinjuries.com, a respected website headed byFlames doctor Willem Meeuwisse, one of the advisers to Dryden'scommittee, reports that injuries, regardless of whether theyresulted in lost playing time, are up 26%.

One thing everyone agrees on is that the oversized, armor-hardequipment used is a big concern. Says Avalanche forward DaveReid, "You run into an elbow or a shoulder pad, and it's likehitting a brick wall." Dryden says, "While players are betterprotected, they may be more dangerous as well. The problem is howto tell what causes an injury. Is it the equipment or just theimpact?"

That's the sort of thing the safety committee hopes to know bythis summer, when it will make recommendations to the league.Perhaps next year when someone asks, "How safe is our sport?"the NHL will be able to answer, "Getting safer."

Gretzky Buys the CoyotesA Great Word Of Caution

Shortly after he and his backers completed the long-delayedpurchase of the Coyotes on Feb. 15, new managing partner WayneGretzky talked about building a championship team and said hewould weigh any trade proposal he thought would help achievethat goal. Two days later he made his first move by firinggeneral manager Bobby Smith and replacing him with veteran NHLexecutive Cliff Fletcher.

While Gretzky is playing an active role with Phoenix--lastSaturday he also hired former teammate Pat Conacher as anassistant coach--he's untried as a talent evaluator. MarioLemieux, who bought the Penguins two years ago, has rarelymeddled with Pittsburgh's outstanding G.M., Craig Patrick.Gretzky would be wise to follow suit and rely on Fletcher, whobuilt the Flames' 1989 Cup winner and assembled a pair ofconference finalists for the Leafs. Gretzky won't likely followLemieux back onto the ice, but following his management stylewould give Gretzky his best chance at delivering a championshipteam.

For the latest scores and stats, plus more news and analysis fromMichael Farber and Kostya Kennedy, go to cnnsi.com/hockey.